Fall to Pieces
by Nuffy
Summary: What if Buffy hadn't been in Sunnydale when Joyce died? (BtVS/AtS)


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they are property of Mutant Enemy, Joss Whedon…etc.  
  
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Buffy Summers looked out at the open road as she drove toward LA. She hadn't wanted to go, but Giles sent her to get information on Glory.  
  
***  
  
"Can't we just call and ask for it?" she questioned frantically.  
  
"No, we can't let this information get out. Phone lines could be tapped, people could interrupt the call, you could be on a bad frequency and other people could hear about it." Giles said suggestively.  
  
"Can't Willow or someone go?" Buffy pleaded.  
  
"No, you are to leave first thing in the morning." Giles ended their conversation.  
  
***  
  
Buffy pulled up in front of the familiar building and parked the car. She stepped out and sighed deeply, dreading the moment she would walk in the door and have to go up to the office.  
  
"Stairs." She said to herself, trying to hold back from getting to Angel Investigations as long as she could.  
  
She stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind her. She started on the first flight of stairs stopping when she got to the platform, waiting to turn and go up the last flight.  
  
Her phone rang and she dug frantically through her purse trying to locate it. She found it and quickly answered.  
  
"Hello?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Buffy." The person on the other end said eerily.  
  
"Giles is that you, because I haven't even…" she started.  
  
He interrupted her before she could finish. Buffy could have sworn her heart stopped. She stood traumatized for what seemed like days before she lost it.  
  
"Mom! No! Not now!" she screamed loudly, not caring if she attracted attention now. "No no no!" She screamed over and over again as she fell against the wall, dropping her cell phone and slumping to the ground, all the while still screaming.  
  
***  
  
"What was that?" Gunn asked from a seat in the office.  
  
"You heard it to?" Wesley asked as he removed his glasses, just as soon to put them back on.  
  
Angel appeared in the doorway, leaving his office and walking into the main room where Wesley and Gunn were looking shocked. Cordelia sat taking a case on the phone.  
  
Gunn carefully opened the door and the screaming became louder. Wesley and Angel hurried toward the door, and Cordelia dropped the phone and followed, not bothering to tell the person on the other end to hold.  
  
"No!" Buffy screamed again, ignoring the footsteps of the ones coming toward her and punching the wall next to her in anger. She ignored the pain.  
  
"Miss, are you okay?" Gunn asked gently as he pulled her away from the wall.  
  
"No! She couldn't, not now! Why now?" Buffy continued on hystarically.  
  
"You're going to have to calm down miss." Wesley told her as Gunn turned the woman to face them. "Buffy?" Wesley asked, startled.  
  
"Oh God, Buffy." Angel cried from the stairs as he ran toward her and took her from Gunn. He cradled her in his arms and rocked her gently.  
  
"Buffy! Buffy!" a muffled voice came from the phone. Cordelia picked it up from the floor.  
  
"Hello?" she asked bravely.  
  
"Buffy?" Giles asked from the other line.  
  
"No Giles, it's Cordelia. Buffy's not in a state to talk right now, what happened?" The brunette said quickly.  
  
Giles explained to her quickly and Cordelia said 'goodbye' rather quickly, sitting down next to Buffy.  
  
"I'm sorry Buffy, I'm so sorry." She spoke caringly. If Buffy had been thinking straight, she would have been shocked, but she wasn't thinking clearly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Gunn and Wesley asked in unison.  
  
"Mom, wake up, you can't die." Buffy sobbed into Angel's chest.  
  
"Oh God," Wesley said stunned, Gunn remained silent.  
  
Buffy's sobbing became less severe and she managed to speak reasonably.  
  
"I shouldn't have left town, I should have been there, I could have called Ben." Buffy managed to say.  
  
"Ben?" Angel asked confused, a hint of jealousy in his voice.  
  
"Works at the hospital, he would have come and saved her. Done the job I do everyday, but not this time. I couldn't save her." Buffy sobbed again.  
  
"Dawnie." Buffy said quickly as she sat up and started drying her tears. "I have to tell Dawnie!" Buffy cried as she picked her phone up and stuffed it in her purse.  
  
"I'm coming with you." Cordelia, Wesley and Angel said together, looking at each other in surprise.  
  
"It's day Angel, I don't want to bring a pile of dust to Sunnydale." Buffy looked at him, her eyes showing her emotion. Trying so hard to be strong, yet showing how hurt she really was.  
  
"I was about to call when I heard you. I'm human, Buffy." Buffy gasped at his words. "I'll explain it all later, right now we have somewhere for you to be." He finished; she nodded and started down the stairs.  
  
"Gunn, can you watch the office until we get back?" Cordelia asked worriedly. He nodded and she started down the stairs, Angel and Wesley in step.  
  
***  
  
Buffy pulled up in front of the school. She parked on the side of the road and climbed out slowly, trying to hold herself together. Angel got out and walked around the side of the car, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. She smiled slightly, hopefully almost. Cordelia and Wesley got out behind them and they headed inside.  
  
Buffy knocked on the door to the principle's office. And he called her in. She stepped in, her friends stood in the doorway, and the man nodded to them, welcoming them in.  
  
"I need to speak with my sister, Dawn Summers." Buffy said quietly.  
  
"Can it wait until after school? It's only an hour." He said dazedly.  
  
"No, it really can't sir. It's urgent. My…" Buffy started, unable to finish.  
  
"Sir, what she's trying to say is…" Angel started to finish for her.  
  
"She can speak for herself, young man." The man stated coldly.  
  
"I'm older than you." He muttered under his breath, so only Cordelia heard him.  
  
"My…our…mother died!" Buffy nearly screamed. Angel put a hand on her shoulder and she leaned into him, crying again. He rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.  
  
"You…you may see her." The man stuttered, looking ashamed. Wesley scowled at him.  
  
"Bloody Americans." He said hotly as he followed the others out the door.  
  
***  
  
Cordelia and Wesley stood not far from the classroom Dawn was in. Three girls were chatting, obviously skipping class, nearby.  
  
"Did you hear about Summers? She cut herself because of her family!" the blonde said laughing. Cordelia couldn't take it.  
  
"Leave her alone." Cordelia snapped at the girl.  
  
"Why?" The girl asked bitterly.  
  
"You wouldn't understand." Cordelia said as she turned and walked back to Wesley and sat down, leaning against him and watching the girls, still fumed.  
  
***  
  
Buffy walked in the room quietly, a few students looked up, but Dawn was busy talking to the boy next to her to notice.  
  
Angel stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame of the door. A hurt look across his face, as if he had been crying the entire time.  
  
"I need to speak with Dawn." Buffy said quietly to the teacher. She nodded and Buffy walked toward her sister.  
  
"Dawnie, I need to talk to you." Buffy said gently. Dawn's friends looked at the two.  
  
"Can it wait?" Dawn asked hopefully. Noticing Angel in the doorway she added. "What is he here for?"  
  
"No, it can't wait." Buffy said grabbing her sister's wrist and taking her into the hall.  
  
"Let me go." Dawn said sternly.  
  
"Here me out first." Buffy said just as sternly.  
  
"Fine." Dawn said as she crossed her arms in front of her.  
  
"Dawnie…" Buffy started.  
  
***  
  
The class watched quietly, not hearing the comments between the two girls.  
  
They watched as the angry look on Dawn's face turned to one of tears. They watched her as she pointed at her sister. They watched as she fell to the floor, and they watched as her sister went down with her, holding her tightly. They watched as the tall, handsome man who had been standing in the doorway, walked over and held them both, kissing the eldest on the head. They watched as they sat there for minutes on end before the eldest stood up slowly and walked over to two others of her age. They watched as she hugged them both before turning to face the man again. They watched as he picked up Dawn and started carrying her to the door. They watched as the others followed.  
  
Their gazes turned toward the windows to the outside where they watched them in the schoolyard. They watched as they sat down in the grass in the shade of a tree. They watched as a red convertible pulled up and five people climbed out, running toward them. They watched they held each other. They watched as one of the girls stroked Dawn's long hair. They watched as the handsome man held the elder sister tightly to him. They watched as the people outside's lives fell to pieces before their eyes. 


End file.
